EXCLUSIVE: "By seeing our show Molkki, one of the districts in Rajasthan has removed the Molkki tradition about a month ago," says Amar Upadhyay

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Actor Amar Upadhyay is a very reputed name in the Indian Entertainment Industry. He has been entertaining the audience from the mid-90s to even today. The actor has been a lead part of various iconic shows and movies including Kyuki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Viraasat, Chand Ke Par Chalo among others. He later also Participated in the 5th season of the reality show Bigg Boss and emerged out as the 4th runner-up. Post that he returned to as lead as Saath Nibhaana Saathiya opposite Tanya Sharma and their pair was immensely loved by the audience. The actor has garnered immense popularity and fan base among the audience over the years and currently he is seen essaying the role of Virendra Pratap Singh in Colors Tv's popular social-issue based show Molkki opposite Priyal Mahajan.

Recently, in an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, Amar Upadhyay spoke at a length about his decision to do Molkki. He also talked about how has been lockdown for him. The actor also opened up about returning to work so early after his ACL surgery despite being advised to rest by the doctors.

On returning to work so early Amar said, "Yes, because I didn't want my serial to suffer at all. I didn't want my writers and producers to change the track because they have a certain plot of mine and I didn't want to disturb the whole story. So, I had to come immediately within a week."

We also asked him that does he gets enough rest as the doctors have advised him to do so. To which, he replied, "Yes, I take a rest in between the shots, I don't roam around. At that time, I'm sitting in a wheelchair with my elevated leg. I do resting and also give my shots in the wheelchair and I'm doing my work. Yeah, it's a little uncomfortable but I'm managing it. It's pretty okay now."

Ask Amar how's been the lockdown and pandemic for him, to which confessed, "It was a very tough time for everyone and I'm no different. But after lockdown opened up, God immediately gave me this show Molkki. I'm really thankful to god and the almighty for this beautiful show. It's a fantastic show and very different. It's doing pretty well, from small kids to even elderly people, all of them are loving the show. this has happened for the second time after Kyuki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and I'm really enjoying the entire process. Lockdown has been good bad in both ways."

Amar also expressed his thoughts on being part of a show challenging social stigma. The 45-year-old actor said, "When I first heard about Molkki, I didn't know what it meant. So, to find it out I researched online on Google and YouTube. I saw certain videos, those videos were really depressing about how girls are mistreated so badly. I went and saw all that and I was wondering that why nobody has made a show on this topic. This is a very sensitive issue and this is a very wrong tradition going on in our country in Rajasthan and Haryana and nobody knows about it apart from the people in these two states. So, I really did want to be a part of this show because an important social message will spread across and people will feel that this is a wrong thing happening in our country. By seeing our show, one of the districts in Rajasthan has removed the Molkki tradition recently only about a month ago."

He added, "So, we have achieved our target and hope that more villages from Rajasthan and Haryana come forward and remove this traditional practice completely. For this, we didn't receive any kind of backlash and nobody came out against us and even people appreciated our work. We are showing it in the right way, so people are really liking it."

In the show Molkki, the storyline follows the concept of an elderly man marrying a younger girl in exchange for money from his parents. The age gap which might have played a hurdle between him and his co-star Priyal didn't actually create any chaos. In the chat with us, He revealed how he and Priyal managed to got comfortable with romantic scenes and removed the age gap hurdle.

"From Day 1, the concept is pretty clear, younger girl and elder man, simple. This is what is the concept on which Molkki is based upon where the bride is bought by a rich family and the guy is 40 and the girl is 20. So, there's a 20-year-old gap, a complete generation gap, it was clear that we have to perform in this ratio and range of age. Secondly, slowly and gradually the enmity between them turns into love. So, as an actor, we have to achieve the concept. For that, we had a couple of workshops for everyone. Where we had to discuss and mentally feel that there is no age gap and perform that way. Being professionals, we could achieve that in a couple of scenes. Whenever the scene comes, we all discuss it in a group including my director and my co-stars pre-handly of how far and close to go. Everything is presented to us on paper and as professionals, we're hired to create that written piece into reality."

He also added and shared the efforts he made from his side and said, "We started talking about general things in life initially and then we got along well with each other. We also talked about the age gap and discussed that it shouldn't come to our mind because it will eventually show on the screen. All these things we discussed while my director and creative head were sitting there. These all were the same things that we had to discuss and not think about it while doing a scene and perform that way. It would have shown on the screen so we just took it out of our minds. If I believe, then the world believes. That's what the truth is."

At last, he talked about the bond he shares with Priyal and the other star cast off-screen. To which he said, "Pretty Good! Very-Very good. She is a good co-star, she is laughing and joking on the sets. The same I also do with the people around me. We talk generally and we get along very well. Not just her, I get along well with everyone on the sets. I even joke with my senior actor Abhay Bhargava, the girl Anjali who is playing my elder brother's wife, the vamp I joke around with her. I even joke around with my cameraman, my costume man. We keep laughing on the sets. I try to make the environment lighter so that it's a very healthy working atmosphere. Otherwise, it makes a very uncomfortable atmosphere, where people think Amar is a big star and he won't talk and he won't do this. It creates a very serious atmosphere."

Also Read: Amar Upadhyay to resume shoot for Bhool Bhulaiyaa from August 10; says “the doctors have advised me to walk and by 5th-6th August I’ll be walking completely”